Typewriting machine



Sept. 4, 19 28.

INVENTOR L. A. THATCHER TYPEWRITING MACHINE Fzled July 1926 Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNITED stars insane earner FFEQE.

LINDEN A. THATCHER, OF BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD ELLIOTT FISHER COMPANY, OF NEVI YORK, N. Y., A COREORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWEITIITG IMACI'IINE.

Application filed July 9,

This invention relates to line-spacing mechanism for typewriting machines, in which the platen may be rotated indefinitely in either direction, rotated through minute distances in either direction, rotated forwardly through a fixed line-space unit of distance, or rotated through predetermined multiples of the unit, in a line-spacing direction by the manipulation of the line-space lever in restoring the carriage.

The present application discloses certain improi'ements over my pending application Serial No. 36,347, filed June 11, 1925, where the platen is rotated by a pair of spiral gears, the larger gear thereof being fixed to the platen-shaft outside the carriage end, and the smaller gear or pinion having a spindle, carrying ratchet-toothed elements forming a one-way two-part interlocking clutch. The t vo parts thereof are normally separated and inoperative but are brought into ope ative relation by the initial movement of the line-space lever, one clutch-element thereof being rotated by a pinion loose upon the spindle, and driven by a gearsector that is operatively connected to the line-space lever.

The present invention is specific to the clutching means for conveying the movement of the line-space lever to the platenrotating means with very little loss of motion in closing and opening the co-acting clutch-elements. The clutch elements in clude an internal gem-positively connected to rotate the platen, and a planetary pinion that is always in toothed engagement with said internal gear; the pinion during the line-spacing movement is locked or nonrotatable and becomes a driving element to rotate the internal gear and he platen in a line-spacing cirection, and when the direction of rotation is reversed to restore the line-spacing mechanism, the pinion is rcleased to rotate idly about its axis and rotate arc-Lind the stationary internal ge r, to its normal position of rest-' Other features and advantages will here ina'lter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

l igure 1 is a plan iew of the left-hand carriage end of the Underwood typewriting machine showing line-spacing mechanism assembled in operative relation to the platen outside the platen-frame, some of the parts being broken away for clearness.

1926. Serial No. 121,352.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1, with the platen-knob removed and with other parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing the parts, as assembled in Figure 1 in normal position, shifted to their operative positions at the end of a line-spacing movement;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional vertical View through the axis of the driving spiral pinion and its connections, on a plane indicated approximately by the line of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 are detailed views of the three members that constitute the clutching elements.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detached view of the pinion driven by the gear-sector showing theassembly of the pinion to the driving disk that carries the toothed dog that interlocks with the pinion to convey rotation to the internal gear.

The. platen 10 is line-spaced to feed a work-sheet by a horizontally reciprocable lever 16 fulcrumed to the carriage-frame at 17 to swingbetween two stop-positions, one position determined by a fixed stop 18 on the frame, and the other position determined by a back-stop pin. 19 shiftable to varying positions to predetermine the length of the line-spacing stroke for the lever 16; said stoppin being mounted upon a lever 20 pivoted to the frame and swingable to dilferent locations for multiples of a linespace unit by a manually'operated cam-lever 21 provided with a series of spirally-arranged detenting recesses 22 to engage with a pin'23 secured to the lever 20. The normal position of the lever 16 is against the adjustable stop-pin 19, and this position of the lever is maintained by a spring 2 1, as shown in Figure 1. c

The line space lever 16 is formed with a short arm 25 having a rectangular slot or opening 26 therein to house a square block 27 having a pivot-pin 28 projecting upwardly to first provide a bearing for the forward end of a push-bar 29, and then enter a spiral groove 30 formed on the under sidcof a graduated dial 331 fulcrumed transmitted to the push-bar 29 by said lever may be minutely determined for a linespace unit of length.

he forward end of the bar 29 lies fiat upon the upper face of the arm and the under face of the dial 31 bears upon the upper face of said bar, and in this manner said bar is supported in a horizontal 13OS1- tien that does not change with the caseshifting movement of the platen-frame. The rear end of the bar 29 operates to vi- 'brate a longitudinallydisposed gear-sector through a pivotal connection to a long pin 33 tit-pending from the lower face of the sector and having a loose sliding movement through the 'aierced end of said bar to provide for a free up-and-down movement for said pin.

The gear-sector 32 operates t-o'drive a pin ion 34, which in turn rotates a spiral pinion 35 inpositive train with a spiral gear 36 fixed-to the platen-shaft 11. To compactly assemble these several parts for. a mai'uifao turable unit, a punched-out sheet-metal bracket includes a top plate 37 and a bottom plate 38 joined by a vertical strap or yoke The top plate 37 may be secured to the carriage-end 12 by screws 40, and the bottom plate may be formed with a turned-up car 41 secured by a screw 42 to the face of a stud 43 secured to the carriage-end 12 to cradle within the forward end of the frame suspending arm 13. The strap 39 may provide a bearing for the platen-shaft 11 outside the frame and close to the spiral gear 36 to prevent springing of the shaft during a line-spacing movement.

Both said plates 37 and 38 may be provided with bosses 44 to provide suitable bearings for a vertically-disposed spindle or shaft 45. The spindle may be formed in tegrally with a spiral pinion 35, the under face thereof being reduced for bearing purposes within the plate 38 and held in position by a screw 46 threaded into the end of the shaft with a suitably large head to bear against the face of the boss 44. The upper end of the pinion 35 is faced off to support a clutch-carrier 47 permanently secured thereto, which takes the form of an inverted cone, the lower end thereof having a dianr eter equal to the diameter of the pinion and then flaring outwardly to clear the spiral gear 36, to provide a top section oflarge diameter. The top faceof the carrier 47 is recessed, and an annular ring 48, so formed, may be counterbored to permanently seat a gear 49 having fine internally cut teeth 50. Up to this point it will be noted that the pinion .35, carrier 47 and shaft are rotatable as a single unit.

Immediately over the upper face of the carrier 47 a disk 51 is assembled to clear the top of the carrier, and may be provided with a long bearing in the form of a sleeve 5201i the underside of the disk to rotate freely about a section 53 of the shaft 45, or rotate with the shaft as required. The diameter of the disk 51 is greater than the diameter of the carrier 47 to overhang the edge of the carrier and provide friction faces to rotatc between two fiat springs 54 tensioned toward each other and suspended from a.

bracket 55 secured to the frame 12. The purpose of these springs 54 is to retard the rotation of the disk 51 for purposes presently to appear.

A, pinion 56 is pivot-ally secured to the under face of the disk 51 as at 56, to engage with the internal teeth of the gear 49. It is obvious that tile rotation of the gear 49 will rotate the pinion on its axis, and if the disk 51 is rotated the pinion will rotate about its axis and rotate about the axis of the disk, having a planetary movement.

A second disk 57 is mounted upon the shaft 45 directly o-verthe disk 51, and secured to the under face of the pinion 34, both pinion and disk being free to rotate about said shaft in either direction by the gear-sector 32 in train with the pinion. The

disk 57 carries a toothed dog '58 secured to the under face thereofto project therefrom and pass downwardly through an opening 59 in the disk 51 while the teeth and the end of the dog will interlock with'the teeth of the pinion 56. The relative length'of the dog 58 and the length of the opening 59 is such that the dog may have a suitable rotary movement within the opening 59 to connect and disconnect the teeth of the dog from the teeth of the pinion 56. In Figure 5 the disk 51 sets over the carrier 47 i with the teeth of the pinion 56 in mesh with the internal teeth of the gear 49, and the disk 57 sets over the disk 51 with the dog 58 projecting through the opening '59.

It will be remembered that the disk 51 is always in a retarded state; hence the initial rotation of the disk 57 by the pinion 34.

The dog 58 at one time will be thrown to interlock with the pinion 56 held stationary by the retarded disk and further rotation of the dog 58 is checked by the pinion 56, and the interlock between the dog and the teeth of the pinion prevents the rotation of said pinion around the gear 49, and both gear and pinion must rotate as a unit and rotate the spiral pinion 35 and spiral gear 36 on the platen-shaft in a line-space direction. At the end of the line-spacing movement, as indicated at Figure 3, the initial return movement of the line-space lever 16, sector 32, pinion 34 and disk 57 will withdraw the dog from its interlock with the pinion 56, which will be held stationary, due to the drag of the two retarding springs upon the pinion-carrying disk 51, until the rear end 58 engages the rear end 59 of the opening 59, when the disk 51 will be picked up by the rain disk 57, and the pinion 56, during the reverse rotation of the disk 51, will rotate idly about its pivot, because of the toothed engagement with the internal toothed gear 49, now stationary with the carrier 47 and pinion 35. At the end of the restoring stroke of the lever 16 effected by the spring 24, the lever is arrested by the stop-pin 19, and the positions of the toothed dog 58 and pinion 56 are shown at Figure 1, where the pinion 56 may be idly rotated when the platen and spiral gear 36 are rotated by the usual finger-wheel secured to the end of the platen-shaft 11. The disk 51 is not only retarded to effect the proper operation of the toothed dog 58 relatively to the pinion 56. but the springs 54 also prevent the rebound of the disk when the parts are suddenly arrested by the stop-pin 19 as when the linespace lever is released to the full action of its restoring spring 24.

The platen 10 may be rotatedthrongh minute distances by'a linger-wheel 61 secured to the u'pperfree end of the shaft 45.

The gear-sector 82 is termed with a hub to take a long bearing upon a shoulder 62 of a screw 63 threaded into a plate 37 on the under side. The sector is also provided with means to arrest the inertia of the platen and associated parts at the end of a linespacing movement. This means includes a long arm 6% forming a part of the sector 32, the free end of said arm being bent down at right angles to form an ear 65 that is located and timed to swing into interlocking engagement w.th a notch 66 cut in the edge of the disk 51, the edge of the ear striking the face 67 of the notch, and positively checking the rotation of the disk at the end of the line-spacing movement, and through the toothed interlock between the dog 58, pinion 56 and gear 49, and the positive cooperation between the carrier 47 and spiral elements 35 and 36, any tendency of the platen to overthrow its true line-space position will be checked.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: I

1. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-space lever, the combination o't motion-multiplying mechanism operable to rotate the platen, including an internal gear, a pinion always in train within the gear, and means operatively connectible to the line-space lever to render the pinion operative or inoperative to drive the gear.

2. In a typewriting machine including a. revoluble platen and a line-space lever, the combination of motion-multiplying mechanism operable to rotate the platen, including an internal gear, a pinion always in train to drive the gear and rotate the platen.

31in a'typewriting machine including a combination of motion-multiplying mechanism operable to rotate the platen, including an internal gear, a pinion always in train within the gear, and a dog operativelyconnected to the line-space lever for to-and-fro movement to render the pinion operative or inoperative to drive the rack and rotate the 'platen.-

4. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-spacing mechanism, means rotatably connected to the platen, including a rotatable gear, and a rotatable pinionalways in train with the gear, and means operatively connected to the line-spacing mechanism to render the pinion operative to rotate the gear and platen or inoperative'when rotated by the gear.

5. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-space lever,.the combination of motion-multiplying mechaiiisin rotatably connected to the platen, including an internal gear and a pinion normally in train within the gear to be rotated by the gear, and means operatively connectible to the line-space lever to render the pin ion etlective'to drive the gear and rotate the platen.

G. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-space lever, means rotatably connected to the platen, including an internal gear, and a planetary 70 revoluble platen and a line-space lever, the I form of pinion always intrain with the gear,

and means operatively connected to the linespace lever to effect the idle rotation of the pinion upon its axis or effect the rotation of the pinion about the axis of the gear.

7. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-space lever, the combination of motion-multiplying mecha nism' operable to rotatetl'ie platen, including an internal gear, a pinion always in trainf within the gear and normally inoperative to drive the gear, and means operatively conneetible to the l1nespace lever to render the pinion operativeto drive the gear and rotate the platen.

8. In a typewrit'ng machine inchiding'a revolubleplatenf and a line-space lever, thecombination oi? motion-multiplying mechanism operable to rotate the platen, including an internal geaiga pinion always in train \v'thin the gear and normally inoperative to drive the gear, and a dog operativelyconnected to the line-space lever and'co-operative with the pinion to drive the gear and rotate the platen in a line-space direction.

9. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platenand a line-space lever, the

combination of motion-multiplying mecha-' nism operable to rotate the platen, including an internal gear, a pinion always in :train within the ,gear and normally rotatableby the .gear when said gear is rotated by the platen, and a dog operatively connected to the line-space lever to interlock with the teeth of the pinion and cause the pinion to rotate the internal gear and the platen.

10. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-space lever, the combination of motiommultiplying mechanism rotatably connected to the platen, includ-inganiinternal gear, and a normally inoperative pinion in train within the gear and rendered operative during the movement of the line-space lever in line-spacing by preventing the rotation of the pinion and causing the pinion to drive the gear and the platen.

11. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-space lever, means operatively connected to rotate the platen, including a gear, and a pinion always in train with the gear and normally inoperative to rotate the gear, a dog operatively connected to the line-space lever to interlock with the teeth of the pinion to effect the rotation of the gear and platen, and retarding means for the pinion operative to ensure the interlocking of the dog with the pinion.

12. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a swingable line-space lever, means operatively connected to rotate the platen, including a gear, and a pinion always in train with the gear and normally inoperative to rotate the gear, and a dog 'movable with said lever in one direction by its swing to prevent the rotation of the pinion and effect the rotation of the gear, and operative in a reverse direction to free the pinion for an idle rotary movement around the gear.

13. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble plat-en and a line-space lever, means operatively connected to rotate the platen, including a normally stationary gear, and a pinion always in train with the gear and normally inoperative to rotate the gear,and a dog movable with said lever in one direction by its swing to lock the pinion and rotate both pinion and gear as a unit, and operative in a' reverse direction to free ,the pinion for an idle rotary movement around the stationary gear.

14;. In a typewriting machine including a platen having a train of gears connected thereto to rotate the platen indefinitely in either direction at will, a line-spacing mechanism cooperative with the train of gears to rotate the platen a predetermined unit of distance in a fixed direction, said mechanism including a normally inoperative pinion always in train with one of said gears, means to render the pinion operative to drive the train of gears, and a lever connectible to the last named means and operative to rotate the train of gears and platen a predetermined line-space distance.

15. In a typewriting machine including a platen having a train of gears to normally rotate the platen indefinitely in either direction, a line-spacing mechanism co-operative with the train of goarsto rotate the platen a predetermined unit of distance in a fixed direction, said mechanism including a normally-inoperative pinion always in train with one of said gears, a'dog operative to render the 'inion operative to drive the train of gears y preventing the rotation of the pinion, and a lever operative to first actuate the -:dog and then rotate the pinion with the gear to rotate the train of gears and the platen a line-space distance.

16. In a typcwriting machine including a platen having a train of gears to normally rotate the platen indefinitely in either direction, a line-spacing mechanism co-operative with the train of gears to rotate the laten a predetermined unit of distance in a. Xed direction, said mechanism including a normany-inoperative pinion always in train with one of said gears, means to render the pinion operative to drive the train of gears including anormally-inoperative dog, and a lever operative tofirst shift the dog into engagement with the pinion to prevent the rotation thereof and then rotate both dog and pinion as a unit to rotate the train of gears and the platen in a line-space direction.

17. In a typewriting mach-inc including a .revoluble platen and a line-space lever,

means rotatably connected to theplaten, including an internal gear, a normally-inoperative pinion housed within the gear to be in constant train therewith, a rotatable carrier for the pinion, means to retard the rotation of the pinion-carrier, and a dogcarrying member rotatable independently of the retarded pinion-carrier to render the pinion operative to rotate the internal gear, and means operative to rotate the dog-carrying member including connections rotated by the line-space lever.

18. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a line-space lever, means rotatably connected to the platen, including an internal gear, a normally-inoperative pinion housed within the gear to be in constant train therewith, a rotatable carrier for the pinion, and a dog rotatable to prevent independent rotation of the gear or the pinion, and means actuated by the line a revoluble platen and a line-space lever, means rotatably connected to the platen, including an internal gear, a normally-inoperative pinion housed Within the gear to be in constant train therewith, a rotatable car rier for the pinion, a dog operative to pre vent independent rotation of either the gear or the pinion-carrier, to render the pinion operative to rotate the gear, a pinion to rotate the dog, and a toothed sector always in train with the dog-rotating pinion and connected to the line-space lever, and a stoparm carried by said sector and operative to engage with the pinion-carrier at the end of a line-spacing movement of the platen.

20. In a typewriting machine including a revoluble platen and a train of platen-rotating gears, 21 line-spacing mechanism, including a lever, a gear-sector actuated by said lever and a sector-driven pinion, and motion-transmitting mechanism intermediate the sector-driven pinion, and the train of platen-gears including a normally inoperative pinion in mesh With one gear, and a dog operable to render the pinion operative to rotate the gear.

21. In a typeWrit-ing machine including a revoluble platen having a train of platenrotating gears, a line-space lever, a rotatable pinion in train with one of said gears but normally inoperative to rotate the gear, and dog connectible to the line-space lever and operative to first prevent the rotation of the pinion and subsequently effect a rotation of the gear.

LINDEN A. THATCHER. 

